Over the last few years I have gained a true love for the world of flora. I discovered that with the right knowledge, anyone can have a greenthumb or at least appreciate the complexities of the plant world. With the help of my Biology lab partner and his love for plants, I started to collect and care for various houseplants. Bryophytes, or mosses are among my favorite classifications of plants. Mosses are unique because they do not have a vascular system as other plants do. This means they cannot "drink" water as they have no internal vessels, or veins. They must instead absorb water from the environment through their leaves. The moist temperate rainforests of my environment in the Pacific Northwest are the perfect place for many species of moss to thrive.
Weird...maybe, but I happen to love moss...it grew on me...
The first time I looked at moss in a microscope during my Majors Biology course in college I fell for it. It was absolutely beautiful. Surprisingly it is made up of thousands of microscopic leaves, each one perfectly formed. What's not to be appreciated? The many shades of mossy green, yellow, chartreuse, puse and even black. These are some of my favorite colors hands down. Various mosses decorate my local ecosystem by covering the surface of nearly everything. Different species find their homes on live trees, fallen logs, river rocks, and forest floors.
Here are some photos I have taken:
Irish Moss with tiny flowers
These species I do not know, but they are still really cool. I had never seen this black and green one.
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